


do you know?

by littleminilynn



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, Crying, Family Feels, Flashbacks, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Klaus Hargreeves Whump, Panic Attacks, Whump, i tried my best tho, klaus: suffers, no beta we die like men, slightly OOC, the fam: ???!!!???!??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2020-03-13 08:08:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18936880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleminilynn/pseuds/littleminilynn
Summary: seeing vanya emotionally checked out after soundlessly sobbing her heart out behind a metal door in a tiny vault is 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 fucking with klaus's mind.or, the one where the fam hears about klaus's time in the mausoleum.(lowercase is intended.)





	1. chapter one

klaus, along with the rest of his siblings, sat on the floor of the basement-- in front of the cage their sister was currently locked in. none could agree on what to do about her, what with luther continuously blocking them from attempting to free vanya. the girl in question had long since given up on trying to get out, her hands too red from pounding on the door and her voice too hoarse from the screaming (none of them could've heard her, though).

the siblings sat in an uncomfortable silence, all lost in their own thoughts. even ben had given up and went off somewhere else within the mansion. klaus sat directly in front of the metal door, staring at vanya through the window as she sat against the padded wall, tears streaming down her face. her face was vacant of emotion though, she as she stared at the wall opposite of her with an empty look in her eyes. it was a terrifying sight. memories rose within his mind each time he remembered that she can't get out, she's trapped, she can't leave. each time he looked at her, all he saw was the mausoleum. memories of himself, pounding against the moss covered door, screaming for anyone to let him out. he screamed and cried until his voice had gone scratchy. memories of being surrounded by so many people, so many screams, so much death, too much of everything and it was just too muchtoomuchpleaseletmeoutplease-- 

and before klaus knew it he was getting choked up.

tears stung his eyes as he pictured vanya going through what he went through. as be pictured her in his shoes. he couldn't stand the thought of someone he loved being trapped inside a cage, alone with their own mind, their own demons. the others couldn't tell anything was the matter. "do... do you guys know what my special training was?" said siblings broke out of their own thoughts, klaus's soft voice bringing them back to reality. the man in question was now turned to face them, tears dripping down his face. his voice was thick with emotion. he stared ahead at nothing, thrown back into a dark memory of something once long forgotten.


	2. chapter two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> klaus freaks the hell out, his siblings don't know what to do, but they try their best. everything will be okay, eventually.
> 
> right?

his siblings were in shock. sure, they'd seen klaus cry before, but that was ages ago; they were grown adults, they hadn't seen eachother in years. nobody knew exactly what to do in this situation, seeing as they barely took note of their own emotions half the time. the only person in the cramped little basement that was equipped well enough to handle this situation was allison, but that would just prove futile considering she could no longer speak. diego was the first to react. "klaus.." he said slowly, manuvering his body to face towards the broken man. "what are you talking about?" he asked, wondering about the question klaus had asked them all. the others were thinking the same exact thing; special training? what training did klaus ever have to do? they never really thought much on klaus's power up until now, but can you blame them? the man spent half his life high as a kite, starting at as young as 13 years old (he was never exactly... secretive about his drug habits. rolling blunts at the dinner table? really?). 

meanwhile, said man had moved himself so that his back was propped up against the cold metal door, now facing his siblings. everybody minus diego was still reeling from the fact that they were witnessing their brother in such a vulnerable state. they looked on with incredulous eyes. "you know.. s-special training!" klaus responded, bottom lip quivering as he held back his tears as best he could. he let out a pathetic wet chuckle. the poor guy was trying to humor the situation, emotional breakdown be damned. "the old man wanted.. wanted to, uh, l-learn about my limits, see what i could do, i guess.." he mumbled out out, staring at his fingers like they were the most interesting thing in the world. he'd have to get another manicure sometime soon, his cuticles looked absolutely hideous.

the room was absolutely silent-- so much so that for a split second, klaus thought he was in the vault with vanya. the unpleasant thought suddenly struck panic through him: cold and overbearing anxiety sunk through to his very core, freezing his bones in place like he was drowning within a sea of ice. the others in the room didn't miss the sound of the whimpers under his breath, or the way his breath picked up just slightly. meanwhile, within the minds of his siblings, they had absolutely no fucking clue on what to do. 

luther stared at klaus's shaking form, mind wracking with ideas on how to help, how to fix this. he was supposed to be number one, dammit. 

diego inched closer towards his brother, careful not to startle him too much as he observed him with cautious eyes. 

allison watched on with worried eyes, her motherly instincts thinking back to all the times claire would cry. she could help.. couldn't she? albeit this situation was a bit different; a 30 year old man breaking down minute by minute in front of her very own eyes was basically the same as a 5 year old child crying, right? 

five studied his brother's form, moving up to sit facing towards him. his eyes burned holes within klaus's very soul, trying to figure out what in the hell was wrong with him. now, five isn't the kind of man who was exactly helpful in this kinds of situations. he spent his teenage and adult years by himself with only a damn mannequin to keep him company. he wasn't the type of person to go to for emotional situations. 

still, though, a part of him worried for klaus. all of them worried for klaus. they only knew one side of him-- the fun klaus, happy go lucky klaus, the way too giggly for it to be normal klaus. this, though, this specific klaus, none of them had ever encountered.

slowly but surely, each sibling shuffled their way closer to him. they now all formed a semi circle around their trembling brother. at this point, ben had returned after sensing something was wrong. he stood by in the corner closest to his favorite brother, while vanya's gaze fixated on what she could immediately see, which was the back of klaus's head and her siblings worried expressions. what was happening? the woman sat up a bit straighter, inching towards the door where she eventually sat, watching and waiting. the space outside the cell was filled with the sounds of klaus's increased breathing, along with mumbles of something neither of the siblings could make out. "please please please dad please, i'll be good i promise, please just let me out, i'm not scared anymore i promise--" klaus choked out, tears now streaming down his face. he didn't wanna be there anymore, he didn't like it, he wanted out, he wanted to go back to his room, it's so cold in here please he just wants out! 

"-aus, klaus? c'mon buddy, you gotta calm down." he heard a gruff voice say. he.. he knew that voice. that was diego, his brother. but that can't be right though, can it? why would father put him in the vault as well? is this some sort of sick punishment father was putting him through? god, why does this have to happen to him, what did he do wrong, hes trying so hard, diego doesn't deserve this, please..! 

rough calloused hands slowly slid over his own, gently prying his own fingers away from his skin. he hadn't even realized he was hurting himself. what was happening? where was he? all while this occured, sound slowly started ro filter through his ears, becoming clearer by the second. "-laus, hey bud. you have to calm down, okay? breathe for a second, buddy, that's it. you're okay. you're sitting on the ground in the basement, right in front of the vau-- where vanya is. we're all here with you, you're alright bud." klaus blinked sluggishly, chest heaving as his lungs greedily drank in that sweet, sweet oxygen. his eyes slowly followed up the form in front of him, landing on diego's concern-ridden face, only a couple inches in front of his own. klaus didn't know what to think. his pupils tracked past diego's shoulder, zeroing in on each of his siblings. well that's odd, it isn't like luther or five to look this worried-- hell, they look a little scared, too. were those tears in allison's eyes? that's around the moment where his logical side caught up to his racing mind, freezing everything into place. he, klaus hargreeves, just had a panic attack in front of his brothers and sister, all because of his mention of his "special training." there was no way out of this, was there?

well, shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know it's a bit late, but here's chapter two! i'm having fun with this story, so i might make another chapter or two. i hope you enjoy <3


	3. chapter three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> slow improvements, a step in a better direction.

well. that happened. how nice is this, some good ol' bonding time. just a bunch of emotionally-constipated siblings consoling their brother who just had a panic attack.

fun, right?

klaus sat trembling, knees drawn up to his chest with his back to the vault door. diego, luther, allison, and five had moved to sit closer and were only a few feet from him now, but they were still being careful enough not to startle him. vanya shuffled closer to the window of the door, leaning to the side in order to see as much of klaus's face as she could. ben was leaning against the wall, a small smile on his lips. finally somebody can help klaus now. he would've ripped out his own hair if he had to witness him panic and suffer alone one more time. his siblings stared at klaus with pity-filled eyes.

surprisingly, five was the first to speak up. his usual stern voice was toned down to something more softer, something unlike the usual five.

"..klaus?" he tentatively asked. "what was that?"

huh. that's funny, klaus thinks. as odd as it is that five's consciousness is older than his physical body, his tone of voice makes him sound just like a little 13 year old again. this whole situation is just great!

"klaus," he tries again, "i don't.. i just, i don't understand what just happened." five wasn't an idiot. he may have been isolated from other people for almost all of his life, but he knew panic attacks when he saw them. he just didn't know what exactly caused it. "you said something about special training?" he asked, a curious edge to his voice. "can you, uh, tell us.. about what it was?"

there was a long stretch of silence. no one dared to speak yet; they wanted klaus to be the first to say something.

"it was bad." klaus eventually said. it was so blunt it was almost terrifying. diego swallowed thickly. "...bad?" he asked, trying to get more of a response out of his shaken brother. "mhm, bad. cold." klaus mumbled, staring at a spot on the floor, a couple inches in front of diego's boots.

"what do you mean it was cold, klaus?" luther asked. he was trying to fit the pieces together to come to an answer. he had to understand something, right? he's number one, this will be easy. 

"it was jus' cold. didn't like it much. i wanted out." klaus answered. alright then, not very helpful. they could work with that, though. each of them shifted to sit in a more comfortable position.

diego was really trying, alright? seeing your usually cheerful brother suddenly have a mini-breakdown is really not the best way to spend your time. all he wanted to do was to help. so, he toughened up and became determined to break through the many, many emotional barriers klaus had put up. he needed help, and he needed it now.

"klaus, can you look at me? eyes up here, buddy. c'mon."

ever so slowly, klaus's piercing green eyes trailed up, up diego's leg, torso, neck, and eventually landing to look at him dead on. the rest of them sucked in a sharp breath. his usual bright eyes were filled with unshed tears, and he looked dazed. bleary-eyed, like he wasn't fully there. it would be an understatement to say it wasn't a heartbreaking sight. 

"okay, that's good. now, can you elaborate on what you said? we have to know what that means, alright?" diego asked, slowly and deliberately. he really wanted to get more than a few words out of him. they all just wanted to understand.

his breath picked up slightly, one or two tears falling down his cheeks. his eyes moved back down to the floor, he couldn't look at diego when he was like this. he.. he didn't want to. he didn't know why he even brought it up in the first place. god he was an idiot, wasn't he? now all his siblings were staring at him with concern and sadness. he didn't like it, he didn't want it. while he was stuck in his own racing thoughts, he felt a soft hand over his own. he looked up, the better posture helping his breathing regulate a bit. allison offered him a kind smile. she was a breath of relief, and he was thankful for it. okay, he could do this.

"do you guys remember times when i would be gone for a few hours? when i would just.. d-disappear?" he asked, breathing slowly, deliberately. he didn't dare look up.

there was a beat of silence as they all thought back to their younger years. hours when we was gone? although they lived in a mansion that took up a whole block, they all tended to stay in the same areas as one another, just so they could be close in case something happened. "i do, a couple times i think? i never thought much about it though." five said. the rest of them hummed in agreement. "yeah, me too-- what does this even have to do with anything, klaus?" luther spoke up. "i don't understand."

klaus ignored him. he continued staring at the floor, pushing through the anxieties and worries. "did dad ever tell you guys where i was?" he asked. he'd work up to it, eventually.

meanwhile, the rest of them were just even more confused. and concerned, because klaus hadn't referred to reginald as "dad" in years. why was he asking this? what is this even about? "i mean.. not really, no?" five muttered. "i don't really remember if we would even.. ask about it.." his voices dropped low, quieting down to nothing. klaus hummed in response. "typical, i guess. he really was a bastard, wasn't he?" his voice held a shake to it now. diego's own anxiety spiked, this wasn't good, but this couldn't be ignored any longer.

"klaus, hey, c-c-calm down, okay?" damn it. now was not the time for his stutter to make an appearance. "we just want to help you buddy. that's all." breathe, diego. keep calm. keep cool. "you gotta talk to us, buddy."

it was silent for a few moments as klaus gave himself a mini pep-talk in his head. it's okay, you can do this. he took a deep breath, closing his eyes and leaning his head back up towards the ceiling. "can.. can we let vanya out, now?" he asked. he wanted her be able to hear his story too. he looked luther directly in the eye, hoping it persuaded him even more. "please? just let her out. this isn't okay."

every other person in the room, even ben, glanced at luther; their eyes all asking the same question. luther grumbled at this, frustrated at the idea of letting someone as dangerous as vanya out to interact with them. however, their eyes told him otherwise. he was still for a moment, before getting up and walking over to the door. "do i really have to do this?" he asked, turning back to look at klaus. "can't you just, i don't know, fill her in some other time?" he questioned. klaus, however, was not having it. "luther. now, please." it wasn't even a question anymore.

luther turned the wheel, the creaking of the metal being the only sound hears in the small area of the basement. vanya stumbled out while looking dazed as she was suddenly able to hear everything other than the sound of her own crying. she was enveloped in a hug by klaus, who held her for a few seconds before pulling back. she was still a bit too frazzled to react in time. he took her hand as they began to make their way up and out of that damned place. "hey there, honey." he gave her a soft smile. she smiled back, heart lifting at the affectionate name.

after all was said and done, each sibling migrated upstairs to sit in the main room. klaus sitting on an arm chair and everyone else on the rest of the furniture. 

"so," klaus began. "let's talk, shall we?"


	4. chapter four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> emotional vulnerability, yay!

"yes, talk. let's do exactly that." five said. now that he could see klaus was almost okay, his voice gained back some of his usual sharp tone.

now, klaus didn't really know how to... go about this, if you will. he wasn't skilled in the field of emotional vulnerability, so he suspected he wasn't going to be great at opening up about his traumatizing past after mostly forgetting about what he went through for most of his life. drugs are nice, they make him feel good and help him forget. he should really get some more, soon. his ghost buddies are starting to get a bit too loud.

"hey, eyes up here." diego commanded. he noticed the way klaus fidgeted around, wringing his hands and looking absolutely everywhere but at them. "we don't know what you went through, or what this "special training" was, but you have to talk to us if you want us to help, understand?" he said. listening to what diego said, he eventually looked up at everyone. his face flushed as he saw that they were all staring directly at him.

"i don't.. i-i don't really know where to start, i guess?" it was more of a question. his voice rose a bit higher as he felt the lump in his throat return. god, he didn't want to cry anymore. it was humiliating enough to have a full breakdown in front of them, and now he was gonna cry like a baby? he hated it.

he heard the tell-tale sound of a marker on paper. allison, right, she couldn't talk. he missed her voice; it's slow and soothing and makes him feel relaxed. he watched her write for a few monents before she turned the pad around. 'you talked about disappearing for a few hours. why did you have to go somewhere else for training?' it read.

starting out with this kind of a question? this discussion is going to be so, so very fun. "my power is more complicated than all of yours. dad wanted to take me to an environment that would best.. accommodate it." he carefully chose his words. "what do you mean it's more complicated?" five asked. "all you can do is see ghosts sometimes. couldn't you just train here?"

klaus thought about how to answer. all of their powers were basic and simple. diego's good at throwing knives, luther is a strong man, allison can manipulate reality with only her voice, and five can jump through time. all of them were one and done. he, on the other hand, didn't yet have a good grasp on his capabilites.

"well, i don't even know what i can do. sure i can see the dead, but there's more to it." he responded. "apparently i can talk to them if i'm sober enough. it's a nice break from the 24/7 screaming, so that's a plus, right?" he giggled sadly. his siblings visibly paled.

five looked uncomfortable. "..they scream?" he asked. "oh yeah, all the time. not a fun way to spend your days. or nights. or your life, really." he said. "why do you guys think i spent half of my life high as a kite?" he asked. it was silent for a moment, each of their faces showing guilt. "w-we never really thought it was that b-b-bad." diego muttered. "oh, hush. don't be so sad, you didn't know! it's whatevs." he chuckled. "next question?"

diego shifted in his seat. "woah woah, wait," he said. he wanted-- no, needed-- to hear more about this. "so the ghosts, they're not just... quiet?" he asked. how much about klaus's power did they not know.

"psh, i wish!" klaus said. he was back to looking around the room; it was easier for him to talk so openly about this if we wasn't looking at them. "they're never quiet, all they do is scream at me. it's kinda hard to understand what they're so mad about when half of them are yelling in different languages." he admitted. five perked up at that.

"different languages?" he asked. ooh, getting off topic, his favorite! "indeed, brother dearest. the ghosties are from all over. they're all just old and cranky european weirdos." he said. 

diego noticed klaus's eyes were off in the distance, staring at something behind his left shoulder. "what're you looking at?" he asked. klaus was silent for a few moments as his eyes scanned over the ghost across the room. before looking back to look at diego. "some old guy." he replied. "real bloody and yucky, looks like he's missing some part of his body-- the usual." okay, gross. diego didn't need the creepy image of some bloody old ghost lingering behind him.

"alright, enough." luther suddenly spoke up. "stop dancing around the subject, just tell us what your so called "special training" was already!" he sounded annoyed. right, cool. just get it over with klaus, the sooner the better, right? he glanced over at ben, sitting perched on the arm of the couch next to vanya. he gave klaus a small nod.

"...he uh, took me to the cemetery, the one a couple blocks over from here." klaus eventually said. he was staring at the floor, because good god he couldn't look at them anymore. "he said it would help me build my powers, get over my fear of the dead. it was all bullshit." he spat, his voice low.

the rest of them didn't know what to think. really, how were they supposed to respond to that? the cemetery? that didn't sound good at all.

luther spoke up first, irritated by the situation. "okay, so you went to the cemetery. so what? what's the big deal abo-" "he locked me in the mausoleum." klaus said. luther's voice caught in his throat, the air in his lungs becoming no more. diego's head shot up. his mind was running a million miles a minute-- what? what the fuck?

five looked vaguely disgusted. there were tears in vanya's eyes, and allison reached over to rub a hand over her shoulder, a saddened look overcoming her face. they all looked at klaus, looked at the way his head was bowed down, the way his shoulders slumped. they heard a shakiness in his voice, the instability of it increasing with each sentence.

"he would leave me there for hours. i lost track of time in there." he sounded detached, like he didn't want to be thinking about what he was talking about. klaus wished he wasn't thinking at all. "i would scream for hours and hoursandhoursandhours, he never came though, he never helped. why would he?" klaus whimpered. his voice sounded wet, and diego could see tears dripping onto the carpet below him. "that.. that bastard." diego whispered. "k-klaus.."

"it was cold in there. there wasn't any light either." klaus cried. "s-sometimes he would come back every few hours, though. spew some bullshit about my fear, interrogate me. 'have you overcome your fear of the dead, number four?'" he imitated with a broken chuckle. "that's all he would ask. nothing else. i would lie all the time just to be able to leave, b-but he never believed me.." he shuddered in a breath.

luther just stared at him with disbelief. dad wouldn't.. dad would never do that. he didn't want to believe it, he couldn't.

five grit his teeth. he wanted to plan for murder. five would find some way to travel back in time and murder reginald. screw the timeline. how dare he do this to his brother, to klaus? he didn't deserve this. five just wished he could have stopped it.

diego had tears in his own eyes, along with vanya and allison, who were openly crying at this point. he was frozen in place. he wanted to reach out to klaus, to hug him and console him. that fucking bastard. 

"y'wanna know the worst part?" klaus choked out. his nails were digging crescent moons into the skin of his knees. his siblings didn't think they wanted an answer to that question, but they got one anyway. "the ghosts. the-the spirits, the dead, whatever you wanna call them." he said. 

diego eventually found his voice, even if it was quiet and subdued. "w-what about t-t-them?" he asked.

klaus sighed shakily, shuddering on every breath. "they were so loud. they never fucking shut up." he whispered. "i screamed at them to go away. t-they wouldn't go away, di, they never did.." diego's heart shattered at the use of his chuldhood nickname. "all i could hear, for--for hours was them screeching my name. all they did was scream." he said. "they wanted me to.. h-help? 'nd i tried, i really did. they didn't listen, though!" he cried. he didn't wanna think about this anymore, he doesn't want to talk about it anymore, please, he didn't want to think, but a he could do was think think thinkthinkthink--

klaus felt himself crumple as a pair of arms guided him to the floor. he was brought into a hug by someone. his head rested under their chin and he could feel the rumble of their voice through their chest, but the sound of the blood rushing through his hears was too loud for him to make out any words. god, this sucked, he hated it, he didn't wanna talk about this anymore, please--

he felt another pair of arms wrap around his torso, and a few more resting on his shoulders and legs. he felt the presence of people all around him. what was this?

"-ey, klaus, buddy. you have to breathe, remember? breathe with me, you're okay." he heard. klaus distantly realized he was hyperventilating again. he felt a large hand wrap around his own, placing it on their own chest. he could feel their heartbeat under his fingers and he grasped at the material of their shirt like a lifeline.

"in, and out. you got it, good job, bud. you're alright.." diego muttered to him. this was diego, right? he knew that voice anywhere. that voice was safety to him. he was safe. he sucked in a breath, sputtering as he choked on air. "hey, slowly, okay? in, and out. follow my breathing, klaus, c'mon." diego said.

the pairs of hands on him never moved, always staying still and providing comforting weight. he felt small fingers and delicate nails comb through his hair; that felt nice. he moved his hand out of diego's grasp, pushing his face deeper into his shoulder. his arms wrapped around diego's torso, hands grasping at the back of his shirt. he squeezed his eyes as his brother leaned down and whispered next to his ear.

"you're okay now, you don't have to say anything. we're here for you, okay?"

it was a simple reassurance, a sign that he was gonna be alright. that was what broke the floodgates.

klaus openly sobbed into diego's shoulder, feeling his hand gently rest on the back of his head. diego's other arm draped across his torso, moving the others away. klaus felt them lean against him; touching his shoulders, arms, and legs, rubbing his back. they were being there for him and he couldn't be more grateful. he cried into diego's shirt for what felt like forever, releasing years of pent up emotion in the comfort of his siblings' presence.

he tired himself out after a long while, the others not daring to move from their positions. they sat and waited until his breaths evened out and he slumped against diego's embrace. then, and only then, did they move. luther helped diego manuever klaus so he could carry him easier; arms tucked under his knees and back. diego looked down at his brothers face resting against his chest. he saw the bags under his eyes, his messy curls, and the tear stains tracking down his cheeks. his heart clenched painfully at the sight.

he looked up and saw the others staring at klaus's still form. everyone had shed a few tears through the entire ordeal, even five. who knew he was capable of showing so much compassion? his siblings glanced up at diego after a few moments.

he gave then a small smile as best he could in his worn-out state. "he'll be okay." he whispered. they gave him small smiles in return, sparing a few glances at klaus before they each eventually went their own way to process the situation. diego turned on his heel and made his way up the staircase to klaus's room; ready to deposit him on his bed and let him catch up on some much needed rest. he made a newfound goal to protect klaus with everything he's got.

he'll be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think this is it? i also wrote and posted this entire work on mobile so i'm sorry for the bad format, but i'm trying my best !! this has been a fun little experiment into writing. i might write more in the future, so if you liked this then hit me up and i'll write other things, i'm open for suggestions <3 i didn't think this would get all the attention it did, so thank you guys so so much! i love u, mwah


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